Shock

-18-

"We have to go back!" Peter cried.

I put my hands on his shoulders in an attempt to calm him down.

"Peter, we can't. We've already lost so much time and we really need to find mum and dad."

"But what about Cam?" Tears were now rolling down his cheeks.

"He needs his energy!"

I crouched down and looked him in the eye.

"He's got enough energy. Right now, he needs his brother more."

Peter still seemed doubtful. As I was about to say more, another voice beat me to it.

"What's going on?"

The three of us looked up. Nathan and Paisley had reached us and were now staring at us with identical confused looks on their faces.

I suddenly lost the ability to speak, leaving Haley to explain what had happened.

They both nodded in understanding.

"I could go look for it," Nathan offered after Haley had finished her story.

"Nathan, you don't have to do that. We really have to-"

"It's fine," he interrupted. "You guys can go on without me, I'll catch up."

I still wasn't too convinced, but seeing Peter's tears pulled me over the threshold.

"Okay, just... Be careful, okay? We'll walk up to New Kent Road and if you're not back by then, we'll stop and wait for a bit."

He gave me a thumbs up and took off.

Five minutes later, the four of us were walking alongside each other, not saying a word. I usually appreciated silence, but this time, it was killing me. Silence meant no distractions, leaving more time for my brain to overanalyze the Nathan-Paisley situation. For the millionth time, I wondered what they'd been talking about. I even debated asking Paisley, but that'd be a bad idea. Paisley was the worst at keeping secrets. I'd learned that the hard way in primary school. So I kept my mouth shut. As we progressed on Harper Road, I found myself getting worried Nathan wouldn't find the energy box in time. Fortunately, Paisley proposed a distraction.

"Who wants to play a game?"

The kids were immediately interested. They debated for a few seconds as to what game they liked and eventually settled on I spy with my little eye.

"I spy with my little eye..." Began Paisley, "Something red."

"The post box!" Peter immediately shouted.

"Very good! Your turn, Peter."

He put his hand on his chin and looked around thoughtfully.

"I spy with my little eye... Something gray."

"The streetlight?" I suggested.

"Yes! Your turn."

I studied my surroundings and my eyes landed on a green shop door.

"I spy with my little eye... Something green."

I saw Peter's eyes find the door, but instead of shouting the answer, he turned to Haley and whispered something in her ear. In turn, her eyes found the door and she yelled the answer.

"You're right! It's your turn now."

We continued the game for a while, and somewhere along the way, Paisley and I found ourselves walking alongside each other.